Oil filter wrench

ABSTRACT

An improved filter wrench is shown for applying torque to a canister-type oil filter to engage and disengage the threaded end thereof from an engine block. The tool includes a wrench body having a larger and smaller aperture for reversibly receiving smaller and larger relatively sized filter canisters. A separate driver adapter engages the exterior of the wrench body when a filter canister is being received within the larger aperture and is itself received within the larger aperture when a filter canister is being received within the smaller aperture of the wrench body.

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/023,890,filed Feb. 26, 1993 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,666.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to utility tools of the wrench type and,more specifically, to such tools designed for the removal ofcanister-shaped objects such as canister-type oil filters from engines.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Most canister-type oil filters designed for internal combustion engineshave a standardized external profile. These canisters include anengagement end having a threaded portion for engagement with matingthreads provided upon the engine and have a cylindrical outerconfiguration which extends from the threaded engagement end for a majorportion of the filter's length. The remaining portion of thecanister-type filter is of a polygonal cross-section.

Conventional canister-type oil filters of the above type are normallylocated on the bottom region of the internal combustion engine beingfiltered. As a result, there is restricted access to the filter.Although the torque required to remove such oil filter canisters is notunduly large, it usually is greater than that which can be appliedmanually. Some form of wrench is generally required in order to achievethe required torque. Removing the filter can be a difficult job becauseof the location of the filter and because of the crowded environmentfound in the engine compartment of many modern internal combustionengines.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved wrenchwhich is of simple, inexpensive construction and which is well adaptedfor disconnecting a canister-shaped object from its associated supportin extremely tight and confined locations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedspecial purpose wrench for applying torque to an oil filter canisterwhich is threadedly engaged on an engine block of an internal combustionengine.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved oil filterwrench adapted for use with an associated driver adapter for applyingtorque to a canister-type oil filter which wrench can accommodate avariety of sizes of canister-type filters.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The improved oil filter wrench of the invention includes a wrench bodyhaving a stepped exterior surface, a stepped interior surface and aninitially open interior which defines a larger aperture at one extentthereof and a relatively smaller aperture at an opposite extent thereof.The larger and smaller apertures are sized to accommodate differentsized oil filters of the canister type. A separate driver adapter isprovided having a complimentary profile for engaging either of theopposite extents of the wrench body for applying torque thereto when anoil filter is engaged within a selected aperture of the wrench body.

The separate driver adapter can be constructed having an externalsidewall and an internal sidewall, both of which terminate in a driveflange adapted to matingly engage a drive tool for imparting rotationalenergy to the wrench body. Preferably, the driver adapter is selectivelysized to be matingly engaged within the larger aperture of the wrenchbody to accommodate a first range of oil filter sizes for applyingtorque thereto, and to be matingly engaged about the exterior surface ofthe wrench body adjacent the smaller aperture to accommodate a secondrange of sizes of oil filters for applying torque thereto.

Preferably, the exterior surface of the wrench body comprises agenerally cylindrical first step portion which is joined by a shoulderregion to a generally cylindrical second step portion. The externalsidewall of the driver adapter is also preferably of generallycylindrical configuration. The wrench body external and internalsurfaces and the driver adapter external and internal sidewalls definemating contact regions when the driver adapter and the wrench body areengaged. Preferably, at least selected mating contact regions of thewrench body and driver adapter are provided with nonslip profiles.

The improved oil filter wrench of the invention can be used to removescrew-on type canister oil filters of varying sizes. In use, a firstsize oil filter is engaged within, for example, the smaller aperture ofthe wrench body. The driver adapter is engaged within the largeraperture of the wrench body. A drive tool is then connected to thedriver adapter. The drive tool is then rotated which, in turn, rotatesthe oil filter to be unthreaded.

A second size oil filter can be engaged within the larger aperture ofthe wrench body. In such case, the driver adapter is engaged about theexterior of the wrench body adjacent the smaller aperture thereof. Adriver tool is then connected to the driver adapter allowing the driveradapter to be rotated and, in turn, to rotate the oil filter to beunthreaded.

Additional objects, features and advantages will be apparent in thewritten description which follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side, cross-sectional view of a prior art oil filter wrenchshowing the wrench engaging a canister-type oil filter;

FIG. 2 is a perspective, exploded view of the wrench body and driveradapter of the improved oil filter wrench of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side, cross-sectional view of the wrench body of theimproved oil filter wrench of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines IV.--IV. in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines V.--V. in FIG. 3;.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines VI.--VI. in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines VII.--VII. in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines VIII.--VIII. in FIG.3;

FIG. 9 is a side, cross-sectional view of the driver adapter of theimproved oil filter wrench of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 10 is a top view of the driver adapter of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a prior art oil filter wrench, designated generally as 11,engaging an oil filter 13 of the canister type (shown partly brokenaway). The oil filter canister 13 is of the conventional type for usewith internal combustion engines and has one end with a threaded extent15 for engaging the mating threads (not shown) provided on a nippleextending from the engine block. The filter canister 13 has a generallycylindrical outer extent 17 which extends from the lower end 21 to asecond portion 19 which is polygonal in cross-section, having aplurality of flat sides or flutes. In most standard configurations, thecylindrical portion 17 comprises about 3/4 of the canister length withthe polygonal portion 19 comprising slightly less than 1/4 of thelength. The lower end 21 of the canister is essentially flat.

The prior art filter wrench 11, shown in FIG. 1, included a firstcompartment 23 for receiving a first sized filter canister and a secondcompartment 25 for receiving a relatively smaller outer diameter filtercanister. A lug 27 was positioned within the interior of the filterwrench 11 so that a first extent 29 was engageable by a socket wrenchpositioned within the first compartment and a second extent 31 wasengageable by a socket wrench positioned within the second compartment25. The prior art wrench could thus be reversed in operation toaccommodate filter canisters of varying external diameter.

While the prior art design illustrated in FIG. 1 was an improvement atthe time, it consumed more space than is available in many of the morecrowded, modern engine compartments. Because of the central lugarrangement, a certain amount of space (illustrated as d₁ in FIG. 1) waslost. The loss of even 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space in the axial directioncan be critical in the extreme confinement of many modern enginecompartments.

FIG. 2 shows the improved oil filter wrench of the invention in explodedfashion. The improved oil filter wrench of the invention includes awrench body 33 and a separate driver adapter 35. The wrench body has astepped exterior surface 37, a stepped interior surface 39 and aninitially open interior 41 which defines a larger aperture (43 in FIG.3) at one extent 45 thereof for accommodating a first range of sizes ofoil filters and a relatively smaller aperture 47 at an opposite extent49 thereof, the smaller aperture being sized to accommodate a second,different range of sizes of oil filters. Thus, each end of the wrenchbody can be formed to accommodate different sizes and/or shapes of oilfilter canisters. For example, some common commercially available oilfilter canister sizes are 93 mm, 80 mm, 76 mm and 74.5 mm. Some of thesefilters have 14 flutes, 15 flutes, 36 flutes and some of the flutes havedifferent shapes.

As shown in FIG. 2, the separate driver adapter 35 has a generallycylindrical external sidewall 51 and an internal sidewall 53, both ofwhich are connected by a perpendicular end wall 55 to a drive flange 57.The drive flange 57 is adapted to matingly engage a drive tool, such asa socket wrench, for imparting rotational energy to the wrench body. Itis possible, however, that other drivers could be utilized such as abox-end wrench, an open end wrench, or even a user's hand could be usedto apply torque to the wrench body. In the preferred embodiment of FIG.2, the driver adapter is selectively sized to be matingly engaged withinthe larger aperture (43 in FIG. 3) of the wrench body 33 to accommodatea first range of sizes of oil filter canisters and to be matinglyengaged about the exterior surface (59 in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the wrenchbody 33 adjacent the smaller aperture 47 to accommodate a second,different range of sizes of oil filters.

Although the driver adapter 35 illustrated in FIG. 2 can be usedadvantageously with the wrench body 33, it will be understood that thedriver adapter could assume different configurations, as well. Forexample, the wrench body 33 could be formed of metal having slots ornotches formed in the cylindrical sidewall portions 59, 61 for receivinga mating driver adapter formed in the shape of a rod, bar or cross. Itis only necessary that the driver adapter have a complimentary profilefor engaging either of the opposite extents of the wrench body 33 forapplying torque thereto.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the exterior surface of the wrench body 33preferably comprises a generally cylindrical first step portion 61joined at a shoulder 63 to a generally cylindrical second step portion59. The external sidewall 51 of the driver adapter 35 is also preferablygenerally cylindrical. The wrench body external and internal surfacesand the driver adapter external and internal sidewalls define matingcontact regions when the driver adapter and wrench body are engaged.Preferably, at least selected mating surface regions of the wrench bodyand driver adapter are provided with non-slip profiles. In theembodiment shown in FIG. 2, the non-slip profile includes a plurality ofribs 65 on the wrench body second step portion 59 and mating grooves 67provided in the driver adapter internal sidewalls 53. Similarly, thedriver adapter 35 has external ribs 66 which can be received withinmating grooves (68 in FIG. 3) of the wrench body.

As shown in FIG. 3 and cross-sectional views 4-8, the wrench bodyinterior surfaces are tapered within both the smaller aperture 47 andlarger aperture 43 to accommodate variations in oil filter canistersizes. For example, cross-sectional region IV.--IV. is sized to fit FRAMand LEE filters. Cross-sectional region V.--V. is sized to fit an ACfilter. Cross-sectional region VII.--VII. is sized to fit FRAM, AC, LEEor PUROLATOR filters, etc.

In operation, a first size oil filter of the canister-type is engagedwithin, for example, the smaller aperture 47 of the wrench body 33. Adriver adapter 35 is engaged within the larger aperture 43 of the wrenchbody so that the external ribs 66 on the driver adapter engage themating grooves 68 provided within the generally cylindrical internalsidewall of the first portion 61 of the wrench body 33. A drive tool(not shown) is then connected to the drive flange 57 and the driveradapter 35 is rotated to thereby rotate the wrench body 33 and, in turn,rotate the oil filter to be unscrewed.

A second size oil filter which differs significantly in either externaldiameter or shape can be engaged within the larger aperture 43 of thewrench body 33. The internal sidewall 53 of the driver adapter 35 isthen engaged about the exterior surface 59 of the wrench body 33adjacent the smaller aperture 47 thereof. A drive tool is connected tothe driver adapter 35, as at the drive flange 57, and the driver adapteris rotated to, in turn, rotate the oil filter canister to be unscrewed.

An invention has been provided with several advantages. The oil filterwrench of the invention is simple in design and economical tomanufacture. The wrench can be provided, for example, of synthetic,lightweight material such as plastics. The wrench body stepped exteriorand interior surfaces allow a variety of oil canisters of varyingexternal dimensions to be accommodated. The separate, driver adapterconserves space within the engine compartment and the wrench body can beeasily reversed for rotating larger and relatively smaller sized oilfilter canisters.

While the invention has been shown in only one of its forms, it is notthus limited but is susceptible to various changes and modificationswithout departing from the spirit thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. An improved oil filter wrench for use with acanister type oil filter having a generally cylindrical outer extentwhich extends from a lower end to a second, dome portion of generallypolygonal cross-section, the wrench comprising:a wrench body having anexterior surface, an interior surface and an initially open interiorwhich extends from a first end opening to an oppositely arranged secondend opening of the wrench body, the interior surface having at leastthree engagement surfaces sized to accommodate different sized oilfilters, the engagement surfaces being arranged in side-by-side fashionto extend from the first end opening toward the oppositely arrangedsecond end opening of the wrench body; a separate driver adapter havinga complimentary profile for engaging the exterior surface of the firstend opening of the wrench body for applying torque thereto when an oilfilter is engaged within the second end opening of the wrench body andfor engaging the second end opening of the wrench body for applyingtorque thereto when an oil filter is engaged within the first endopening of the wrench body wherein available axial space within saidwrench body is maximized; and wherein the wrench body initially openinterior defined by the at least three engagement surfaces on theinterior surface thereof is a generally cylindrical opening which isselectively sized to receive and engage the dome portion of a canistertype oil filter for applying torque to the oil filter.
 2. An improvedoil filter wrench for use with a canister type oil filter having agenerally cylindrical outer extent which extends from a lower end to asecond, dome portion of generally polygonal cross-section, the wrenchcomprising:a wrench body having an exterior surface, an interior surfaceand an initially open interior which extends from a first end opening toan oppositely arranged second end opening of the wrench body, theinterior surface having at least three circumferential engagementsurfaces sized to accommodate different sized oil filters, theengagement surfaces being arranged in side-by-side fashion to extendfrom the first end opening toward the oppositely arranged second endopening of the wrench body, the engagement surfaces defining regions ofvarying internal diameter which vary between greater relative diametersadjacent the oppositely arranged end openings and lesser relativediameters moving inwardly therefrom; a separate driver adapter having acomplimentary profile for engaging the exterior surface of the first endopening of the wrench body for applying torque thereto when an oilfilter is engaged within the second end opening of the wrench body andfor engaging the second end opening of the wrench body for applyingtorque thereto when an oil filter is engaged within the first endopening of the wrench body wherein available axial space within saidwrench body is maximized; and wherein the wrench body initially openinterior defined by the at least three engagement surfaces on theinterior surface thereof is a generally cylindrical opening which isselectively sized to receive and engage the dome portion of a canistertype oil filter for applying torque to the oil filter.
 3. The improvedoil filter wrench of claim 2, wherein the least relative internaldiameter of the wrench body is located at an approximate mid-region ofthe interior surface of the wrench body.
 4. An improved oil filterwrench for use with a canister type oil filter having a generallycylindrical outer extent which extends from a lower end to a second,dome portion of generally polygonal cross-section, the wrenchcomprising:a wrench body having an exterior surface, an interior surfaceand an initially open interior which extends from a first end opening toan oppositely arranged second end opening of the wrench body, theinterior surface having at least three circumferential engagementsurfaces sized to accommodate different sized oil filters, theengagement surfaces being arranged in side-by-side fashion to extendcontinuously from the first end opening to the oppositely arrangedsecond end opening of the wrench body, the engagement surfaces definingregions of varying internal diameter which vary between greater relativediameters adjacent the oppositely arranged end openings and lesserrelative diameters moving inwardly therefrom; a separate driver adapterhaving a complimentary profile for engaging the exterior surface of thefirst end opening of the wrench body for applying torque thereto when anoil filter is engaged within the second end opening of the wrench bodyand for engaging the second end opening of the wrench body for applyingtorque thereto when an oil filter is engaged within the first endopening of the wrench body wherein available axial space within saidwrench body is maximized; and wherein the wrench body initially openinterior defined by the at least three engagement surfaces on theinterior surface thereof is a generally cylindrical opening which isselectively sized to receive and engage the dome portion of a canistertype oil filter for applying torque to the oil filter.
 5. The improvedoil filter wrench of claim 4, wherein the least relative internaldiameter of the wrench body is located at an approximate mid-region ofthe interior surface of the wrench body.